Mobile multi-cell rocket launchers are used by the military to provide firepower during a combat situation. The launcher electronics (e.g., control, power, and targeting systems, etc.) and launch platform necessary to control and fire each rocket are bulky and expensive; therefore, modern multi-cell rocket launchers use modularity to reduce overall system cost and bulkiness.
A common infrastructure, which includes the launcher electronics and launch platform, is used in conjunction with replaceable canisters, which each contain a rocket. Each canister provides a substantially air-tight environment that reduces the rocket's exposure to dust, humidity, and other environmental factors. The canisters need to be easily replaced in a combat situation; i.e. it must be possible to quickly remove a spent canister and replace it with a fresh canister to replenish the total firepower of the launcher.
In the prior art, the loading of a canister into a launch platform requires complicated handling by the crew manning the platform. In particular, in order to connect the electronics contained within the canister to the launcher electronics (i.e., the electronics NOT contained in the canister), the crew must attach the electrical cables associated with the platform to the electrical cables associated with the canister. Furthermore, the crew must ensure that the cables are not severed or damaged while the canisters are loaded.
Therefore, the need exists for an electrical connection that avoids or mitigates some or all of these problems.